A Cleansing Touch
by Sin Maxwell and Co
Summary: It is the summer after Voldemort's rebirth and he decides to go and collect the Boy-Who-Lived. When he gets there though, all is not well with our hero. Can Voldemort offer Harry a cleansing touch or will the teen be lost to insanity for good? HPLV
1. Chapter 1

Alright, for those of you who are curious as to what this new little piece is, it is just a little snippet I thought up after reading until 5:30 in the morning. It is angsty, contains slash, sex abuse and one nutty Boy-Who-Lived. This may end up being a one shot but I make no promises and take no prisoners, except maybe Meihoukai Kitsune. You rock, girl! I do apologize for any errors. It is, like I said, very early in the morning and I have not slept at all.

Disclaimer: I claim nothing.

A Cleansing Touch- Chapter One.

Harry watched the man standing in his doorway blankly, a stoic expression on his face. The Dursley's home, once so filled with the delicious screams of his dying relatives, was silent. It was a change that Harry found he enjoyed very much. The Dursleys deserved to die for what they had done. Everything. They were sick people. Or maybe it was he who was the sick one. After all, he hadn't fought back. So, did that really make it bad? Voldemort stared at him with an interested expression on his face while Snape stood behind him, looking at the heavy padlocks on the door with a sickened, yet somehow unreadable look in his eyes. The teen pasted a brilliant and more than slightly disturbing smile on his face. Why not? After all, he was crazy, right? That's what all of the papers said. That's why no one was mailing him. That's why…Everyone thought he was a freak. Just a crazy, disgusting freak.

"Tom! How nice of you to visit. I'm actually glad you're here. Making a lot of noise my relatives were. It's nice and quiet now that you're here. I like it. You should kill people more often!" He declared, gesturing to the threadbare bed for them to sit.

The Dark Lord moved silently into the room while his professor needed more encouragement. Harry had to take him by the sleeve and guide the potion's master inside, sitting him down himself. Snape sat down, only to jump back up in disgust as he saw the large blood stains on the bed. Hedwig's rotting corpse sat, still in it's cage, staring up at them. It was rather miraculous that it didn't smell nor had any sort of insects gotten to it. Small miracles, he guessed. Or magic, Harry thought with a wry grin. His beloved owl still had bits of her blown on the wall by the cage where his uncle had shot her during one of Harry's more creative punishments. Tom was staring at him now like he had never seen him before, especially not a few short weeks ago. The mirrors in his room were all shattered but Harry had taken to gluing the shards to the wall in a parody of their once whole forms. The images they reflected were distorted and just as disturbing as the child who had made them. Harry thought them rather accurate in describing his state of mind. He was crazy after all and he liked the way they looked. They were broken. Just like him…

"Potter, are you…alright?" The Dark Lord asked, trying not to look at the dead owl's desiccated corpse.

Poor Snape looked disgusted and green. He had probably believed Harry to be a pampered, spoilt child. The very image of him sitting proudly in front of the couch, looking rather like Dudley, while he ordered his, too skinny, humbled cousin around made a giggle erupt from the teen's throat. Voldemort winced lightly at the sound. It was harsh and grating because of the abuse his vocal cords had suffered over the past few weeks. That was okay, though. Tom needed to be surprised form 

time to time. Harry walked over to his wall of glass, imagining the shard worming their way into his flesh, scissoring him to pieces on their way to his lungs and heart. His lungs definitely felt like they had glass in them. With every breath, they burned anew. He touched the glass with that same disturbing smile pasted on his face. That was when they saw the scars. Scars dribbled down his hands, his nails just beginning to grow back. They disappeared under his long white sleeves. They look like they had been shoved in acid.

"I'm fine! Peachy keen, actually. Ask Hedwig. She'll tell you. Everything is just fine." He answered, his voice maybe a little too high pitched for some reason while he gestured at the dead bird. "Everything will be just fine…" Was his whispered reply.

Snape touched his shoulder, probably trying to see his hands more closely to check for infection. Harry however, felt disgust, shame and hatred well in him in an instant. He shoved the man away furiously, causing the professor to stumble back into the stained bed.

"Don't touch me!! Don't you ever touch me!!" He screamed with rage bubbling from within him like a massive dragon come to devour him.

His yells brought Death Eaters running up the stairs to see what was happening and to defend if needed. Tom tried to ease Harry down with a calming gesture and low tones.

"It's okay, Harry. No one will touch you, I promise. If you don't want it, it won't happen."

Harry snorted at the comment and his snort became outright hysterical laughter. He was panting for breath, clutching at his aching chest. He had never heard such lies in his life! Or funnier still, perhaps Tom actually believed them? His laughter pushed him against the glass covered wall, slicing his skin and shirt with every touch.

"No one will touch me!? Unless I want it?! Please don't tell me you actually believe that drivel? Now everyone says I wanted it!" He managed to get out in between laughter. Like a light switch, his grin was gone to be replaced by the most despairing expression Tom had ever seen on a person. Harry touched the glass against in an almost loving caress, " I never…I didn't want…Touch…Never touch…"

The teen moaned pitifully, biting it off with a whimper of agony.

"The freak deserves it though. I'm a freak, I deserve what they gave me. I deserved what they did…" He whispered once more, his gaze seemingly far off and distant.

Tom and Severus shared a distraught look. What had happened to the boy before them? What had been done to him to make him such a wreck? Worse yet was an even more horrible question. Did Dumbledore know?

"Harry?" Tom asked, pausing to wait for the teen to acknowledge his presence. Harry's eyes flicked to his own before flicking off to stare at the floor, " Would you like to come with Severus and I? We promise to not let a single person touch you again. We aren't here to hurt you."

Harry continued to stare at the floor, not giving an answer. His soft lips trembled as Snape stepped closer to him. He shrank against the glass further as if it were a safety blanket.

"Potter? Harry…What happened to you? Who did this?" The potion's master asked with the horror in his eyes that the situation deserved.

His student did not look at him but instead began running a disfigured hand over his stick thin wrist where the scars were bad.

"And what shall we pray for those who have lost, Not sight of the goal, But sight of the cost? Many a finish, Many an end, For enemy for lover, For betrayer, for friend."

The small rhyme was the only thing that he would say more. Without looking up at them, Harry curled up on his bloodstained bed and just shook his head to everything else that was said to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry followed Tom and Severus out of his bedroom, his dead owl's cage in his arms. He wouldn't leave her. She had never left his side and he would do the same. The Death Eaters stared at him with horror written on their faces. He sneered at them furiously. What did they know? They were just stupid. Just plain stupid. His mood rose considerably though once he saw his dead uncle half sprawled at the foot of the stairs. He crouched down, his grin as big as he could muster.

"Hello Uncle. You don't look like your feeling well. Perhaps I should get Aunt Petunia to get you something? No? I'm going away it seems, so I won't be in the way for a while. Give Aunt Marge a big sloppy kiss for me, okay?" He said cheerfully to his uncle's corpse.

The dead eyes just stared sightlessly back up at him. All the while, Tom watched him, keeping his thoughts tight behind his unbreakable stoic mask. The boy glided effortlessly over to his dead aunt that lay on the couch still and his cousin's body on the floor.

"Dudley," He said in a gruff voice, Tom assumed was to imitate his uncle, " Go paint the shed! Go wash the dishes! Don't dirty your aunt's floor!" Harry cackled.

Tom took in the sight of the teen now that he was out of the gloom of the upstairs. Harry's skin was pale, so pale it looked sickly and near transparent in places. There were dark bags beneath his eyes that bespoke of chronic insomnia and he was painfully thin. Vaguely, he wondered when the boy had last eaten. Harry's whole being had the sunken, fragile quality of a person who had been sick for a very long time. Harry had been very sick. Tom chose to speak to him in parsletongue. It just made it seem more personal between them. Personal was definitely what he was aiming for.

Harry He chided lightly, drawing his new project away from his seat on Dudley's massive body, You may play later. For now we must go to your new home. You may play all you like there.

He realized that while his voice kept the tone that he was speaking to an adult, his words sounds as if he were speaking to a child. Harry didn't seem to mind, rather he liked the difference. Probably because no one had ever spoken to him like that before, seeing as how he had been robbed of his childhood. Tom made a mental note to do it more often. He held out his hand for the disturbed teen to take but Harry immediately shied away. He just held onto the disease filled cage as if it were his teddy bear. Tom gave Severus a look and his response from his potion's master was eloquent. He sincerely hoped that Harry wasn't going to sleep with that cage.

Will…Will there be Death Eater's there?

Yes, but they will not have access to where we are staying. You will not even see them unless you wish it.

I am…afraid.

I'll always be here for you, you know. I won't let anyone hurt you any more.

Harry merely smirked in such a way that the hairs on the Dark Lord's neck stood at attention. The teen said no more, but shook his head in place of a reply.

It had taken some maneuvering, seeing as Harry refused to have anyone close enough to touch him, but they finally got him to Hanacore Manor, Tom's new base, and into a room of his own. It was attached to Tom's own and he had heard the distinct sound of Harry barricading the connecting door. The sounds just made his shake his head. He sighed and watched Severus pace in front of him with a glass of his strongest whisky.

"Is this hopeless, Severus? Did my plan fail even before it was implemented?" He asked calmly, as if he were simply asking about the weather.

The potion's master stopped his meandering to stare at the far wall, deep in thought.

"I agree that bringing Potter here was a brilliant move. He will be more likely to join you if he is here. But the state of his mind…He is half mad, my friend. His thoughts are disjointed and are a complete mess. The inside of his mind looks like several jigsaw puzzles all mixed into one. It is nearly impossible to make anything out. He could be pushed over the edge of insanity just as easily as he could make a recovery. It is…too soon to say."

Tom nodded, sipping at his own drink. Severus tossed another down, making him admire once more how much liquor the man could hold. Severus Snape could drink anyone under the table, that was for sure.

"What do you suggest? How should I approach this…small distraction?"

"Small distraction?! Tom, he's insane! I never thought I'd say it but it would almost be kinder to put him out of his misery. I can't even begin to calculate the damage done…If I were to give a professional opinion though, I would say that you have to earn his trust, just as you would have done before. But you have to show him that you deserve to be trusted and that he deserves you trust in return. Harry doesn't trust people anymore. After all, look what they did to him. You have to treat him even better than how he should have been treated in the first place. Show him affection and understanding. Get him used to talking to people and then have him see a Psyche Medic."The man said with a heavy sigh.

What had those muggles done to Potter to make him so…delusional.

"I noticed, Severus, during our brief conversations, that Harry seems to have moments of lucidity in which he speaks normally and then times when he raves. Could that be a good sign?" Tom asked his friend.

Severus nodded, still watching the wall as if it were very interesting indeed.

"It is definitely a sign that he is still at least half there. Tom, you are going to have to be extremely careful when you approach this. If you spook him, he may withdraw for good. I'm not sure if his mind could take someone else hurting him."

"I will be as careful as is possible."

Reviews are much loved.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope!

Harry was carefully situating himself and his dead owl into a corner of the room when Tom arrived to visit him. The boy immediately shrank away from him, curling in on himself. The Dark Lord raised his hands in surrender to show the boy he meant him no harm. He showed him the salve he had brought, handing it over for Harry's inspection.

"How are you, Harry? Are your rooms to your liking?" He asked in a friendly voice.

Harry shrugged lightly, scooting the jar along the floor back within the man's reach. Tom smiled at the sight but he was nonetheless somewhat put off by the Boy-Who-Lived's silence. He thought back to the sight from mere hours ago, the scene in that room at number four Private Drive.

"Now, Harry, love. We mustn't be like that." Tom chided him in that tone that seemed as though he were speaking to a small child. Harry looked up, tilting his head to the side. "We should talk back when adults are talking to you. Did you decorate your room all by yourself?"

Harry nodded, murmuring a small 'yes'. The desk and nightstand had been piled against the door to Tom's rooms while the comforters and sheets had been pulled off the bed and half pulled under the bed. It seemed young Harry would be sleeping under the bed. The Dark Lord entertained the thought of just giving the boy a De-Aging potion so he could have his childhood back but it seemed slightly detrimental to his…more carnal plans.

He intended to have Harry as his own. Why? The boy had been a constant through out his reign, and he through Harry's life. Harry would never suck up to him to earn his favor, he would never lie to him, and he would never leave because Tom intended on making him never want to leave.

Perhaps…his dementia could be a good thing in the end. It would make Harry less likely to go willingly running back to Dumbledore. After all, the man was at least partially responsible for his current state. He would simply take the man's original plan: to starve Harry of attention and love and then to swoop in and be his savior, to turn it against the old man. Tom sat on his heels close to the floor so he could be more level with the boy.

"Harry, love. I brought you here for a reason, you know. I'm going to be taking good care of you from now on. Will you let me take care of you?"

He clutched the cage to his chest tightly all of the sudden, his eyes wide and anxious. Had he gone too fast? Was Harry afraid of him now? Tom mentally cursed. He had no experience with things like this. Perhaps he should get an opinion from a Psyche Medic.

"People don't take care of me. People don't want to take care of the freak. That's only for good children. Only good children get care. Only good kids are allowed to be happy." Harry whispered, leaning over on the floor as if he were trying to roll himself into a ball.

Tom tutted lightly, bringing the boy's agony filled eyes back up to his. They flicked back to the floor quickly though. It was as if he were afraid to look him in the eyes. Or he thought he would get into trouble if he did.

"I want to take care of you Harry. I want you just the way you are. Will you be my boy, Harry?"

His words hit the boy as if they stung. His whole body tensed as if waiting for something painful but in the end he just ended up letting out an agonizing moan. Harry's moment of lucidity finally passed, and he popped up from the floor so suddenly that it made Tom rock on his heels.

"Okay, Tommy! Say, wouldn't those drapes look pretty in red. I was thinking fire!"

With a demented giggled, Harry ducked passed him and grabbed the navy curtains, a fire springing from his hands immediately. As if they were an accelerant themselves, everywhere Harry's hands touched, a new fire sprang. Severus came in the room at last, and gasped at the sight.

Harry's was laughing like a raving lunatic while his curtains became consumed by the flames. Tom finally had had enough. He grabbed the teen from the front, wrapping Harry in his arms to restrain him. Immediately, banshee like screams burst from the teen while he writhed in Tom's arms like he was the one burning. Harry screamed and screamed, trying to push at him with all he had.

Severus put out the fire just in time to watch Tom steel his rock hard resolve. He held the boy, rocking him comfortingly until Harry's screams fell away into cries and his cries into silence as he blacked out at last. The potion's master's eyes were wide but cautious as Tom cast a spell and the bed remade itself. He laid the teen down as gently as he could; he removed Harry's socks and shoes, pulling the duvet over his sleeping form.

"Do you think that was a good idea? It could push him over the edge." Severus whispered while they both watched over the sleeping child.

Tom smiled slightly although his eyes remained grim.

"I know it was. We share a connection, Harry and I. It was one of the reasons I singled him out as the companion of my life. Despite what it may seem, that was just one stepping stone along the way to earning Harry's trust." He explained darkly and pushed a piece of Harry's dark hair away from his closed eyes.

Despite all that had happened to the boy, he was still beautiful in his eyes. He reminded him of a little sparrow in a way. Severus seemed hesitant but nodded.

"If you say so. You know I just want what's best."

"I know."

Review!!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Four

Harry sat on the floor beside the bed, staring up at the door with amazement. He acted as if he had never had anyone knock before coming in. Tom smiled at him.

"Harry, love, what are you doing on the floor? You have a perfectly good bed to sit on."

Harry's only response was to scurry beneath the bed and peer out uncertainly. Tom scoffed lightly.

"Now don't be that way. Do you not want to come see me?"

Harry shook his head, eyes fearful.

"Why not?"

"You'll punish me…"

"Whatever for?"

He bit his lip adorably, sucking it into his mouth, an action that Tom gathered was an impulsive way to both comfort and punish himself by causing pain.

"For setting the drapes on fire…"

Tom scoffed, waving off his fear and sitting on the floor beside the bed, allowing Harry to remain in his safe place. That was where the child felt comfortable at the moment so that's where he could stay until he was ready to venture out.

"I hated those curtains anyways, "Tom turned smiling, charming eyes on the boy with a mischievous grin, "I've brought you a present, Harry." He whispered conspiratorially.

Harry's eyes widened and his lips parted in a small O of surprise. A present? For him? The Dark Lord could practically see the thoughts flying across his face. It was absolutely adorable. She would love him.

"A present?" The boy asked tentatively, bringing more of himself out from under the bed.

It seemed his plan was working splendidly.

"Yes. I've brought you a mother, Harry. Would you like to meet her?"

Harry's eyes were bigger around than Tom had ever seen them. He nodded anxiously, pulling himself out, tugging nervously at a hole in his shoe, folding himself up with his knees against his chest. He was so thin and bony that it took no effort at all, Tom noticed. He would have to address that problem. Harry had only looked on with extreme disgust when he had offered him food earlier. He'd been there two days and had only ingested tea and water. Tom would start him on juice and see how he handled that and then maybe move on to broths and soups. He got up and crossed the room while Harry pulled his long sleeves over his hands, suddenly self conscious of his grotesque scars. Tom winced at this and smiled, pulling the leather riding gloves he had been wearing on his way back from his trip out of his pocket. He walked back over to the boy who sat shaking on the floor. He plucked Harry's hand gently from the sleeve and slipped the gloves over the scars much to the boy's immense confusion.

"For you." Tom whispered and got back up to open the door.

Harry sat, once again amazed and confused at the man's actions. Tom opened the door and a woman that seemed vaguely familiar to him walked in with a bright slightly crazed smile on her face. He instantly liked her. She was just like him. Tom bowed her inside.

"Harry, this is Bella Lestrange. She is one of my dearest friends and she wants to adopt you."

Bella grinned brightly and he offered her a small smile, biting his lip nervously. She cooed, scooping him tenderly into her arms. She was able to pick him up without much effort.

"Adopt?" He whispered hoarsely, wondering who on earth would want to adopt him.

She nodded emphatically.

"Yep! Wanna be my baby, Harry?"

Harry's personality changed in an instant, something Tom had noticed happening quite often. Hopefully, Bella could help him recover a little.

"Alright! I always wondered what mothers were like! We should play games and make cookies and watch movies!" He said quickly with that bubbly slightly crazed voice he got when he changed.

Tom watched the two ramble with a small grin. This could be very good for them all. Hopefully, he could find out a little more about Harry beyond his tragedy.

"Mum! We gotta go make cookies right now! Chocolate chip! With sprinkles!" Harry exclaimed, bouncing through the room and dragging her out the door with enthusiasm.

He could hear both of them cackling as they went down the hall and he couldn't help the bought of laughter that trickled out of his chest at the thought of everything as it was. A moment later, Severus poked his head inside the room, an eyebrow raised curiously.

"Why do we have two rather insane people waltzing unchecked down the hallways? My Lord?" The potion's master asked at his odd unexplained laughter.

"They're going to make cookies. Chocolate chip." He responded with another laugh.

Severus looked at his lord as if he had officially lost it.

"Bella is adopting Harry." He said in way of an explaination.

Severus snorted, rolling his dark eyes.

"They deserve each other. They're both as nuts as can be. Potter is admittedly more pleasant to be around, however."

"Admit it, Severus. You like the boy. He's grown on you." Tom said with a grin to his colleague.

The potion's master shrugged simply and admitted to nothing although they both know he had developed a small fondness for the last Potter. They both did. For all of his faults, insecurities and absolute insanity, Harry Potter had gotten a foothold in them and it didn't seem like they would be shaking him off anytime soon.

Tom walked into the kitchen earlier where he had seen a couple of elves dash by and Bella's cackling. He peered inside and nearly burst into laughter at the sight. Harry was sitting on the ground where he had clearly fallen, the hole bowl of cookie dough sitting atop his head, dripping down the side of his face. He was clearly more lucid now for he sat in stone silence, seemingly pondering how he had come to this situation. Bellatrix was covered in flour. That was not unusual seeing as how she had probably never baked a day in her life. Harry looked up at him when he approached and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. The Dark Lord tsked, picking him up and cradling him in his arms gently. Harry was just small enough that he could hold him like this.

"Bella, go clean yourself up. I'll take care of Harry for now."

She nodded and made her way down the opposite end of the hall. He carried the crying boy to his rooms, somewhat amused by the tears. Once they were inside he smiled and lifted the bowl from the boy's head.

"Are you well, Harry?"

He nodded, his lower lip trembling with his tears.

"Then what has you so upset?"

Harry sniffled, letting him wipe the dough away from one eye.

"I can't even make cookies! And…" Tom raised an eyebrow in question, especially as he noted the deeply distress look on his boy's face, "I'm sick…Aren't I? There's something wrong with me, isn't there? I can tell because of the way people look at me."

The Dark Lord's smile faltered slightly but it returned, although somewhat sadder than before.

"You are sick, Harry. But I'm going to make you all better again. You'll see. I'll make you better again, I promise. And then, I'll marry you."

Harry's eyes grew wide as if he were telling a story about a princess being rescued by her prince.

"Really?"

"Really."

Review!! Yes, Harry has been reverting back alittle but it's only because he has a parent figure now and so psychologically he reverts back to the childhood he never had because he finally can have it now. It is a small way for him to begin the healing process.

.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Five

He had been watching the boy since he had arrived at the Dark Lord's manor and he had to admit, the brat was luscious. His wide emerald eyes, red lips and constantly messy bed hair just screamed 'take me'. His thoughts were plagued by the boy at night and he smirked to himself while he watched the crotchety Potions Master and Bellatrix escort the boy to his first Psych Medic meeting. Soon. He would have him all he wanted soon. If he could just taste him once, he would be able to shake this… urge that seemed just as insane as the boy himself. He licked his lips and proceeded down the hall towards the meeting hall for their next strategy meeting.

Harry shrank away from the Healer, burrowing himself in Severus's arms. Bellatrix cooed at him and stroked his thin, lank hair. Severus allowed the intrusion on his personal space, but only, he told himself, because the boy needed _someone_ sane here to turn to for comfort.

"Awwww! It's ok, ducky! Healer Rickard is my Healer too! He's great." Bella assured the boy and while he seemed still increasingly reluctant, he looked up from Severus's shoulder where he had buried his face in fear.

The nodded with a gentle smile and leaned down so he could be on eye level with Harry.

"That's right Harry. My name is Healer Rickard, but you know what? You can call me Elyse, because you are a very special little boy." The Healer said cheerfully.

The teen poked his bottom lip out in thought but nodded slowly as if in thought.

"Elyse. Ell…Ellie!" Harry suddenly burst out with happily.

The man chuckled but nodded. Severus rolled his eyes and Bellatrix burst into giggles. Elyse held up a stuffed ducky he had pulled from the bag beside his chair and slowly handed it to an entranced Harry.

"Look, Harry. This is Happy. He's going to be your special friend while your visiting with me. He's a very good secret keeper so you can tell him anything you want, no matter how big or small. He wants to be your best friend. Will you let him be your friend?"

At the word friend, Harry's eyes grew and a maniacal look took hold. It was gone within an instant though and swallowed by the cheerful childlike Harry that they had coem to expect.

"Okay! Can I tell him something now?"

"Of course."

Harry looked around conspiratorially and glared at Severus as if he would tell a big secret. The teen cupped his hands around where the duck's ears would be and whispered although not quietly enough to prevent the others from hearing.

"I like eating cookies with Tom." He whispered and then beamed up at everyone like nothing had happened.

He held the ducky up to his own ear, listening carefully to nonexistent whispers. He nodded at the toy as if he understood and put a finger for silence over his lips before giggling. Elyse smiled brightly at him and jotted a few things down on his notepad.

"So Harry, what sort of things do you like to do?"

Voldemort watched Severus and Bellatrix walk down the hallway towards him, walking hand in hand. Harry had a bright silly grin on his face. As soon as the boy's eyes alighted on him, they brightened and Harry ran up to him, jumping into his arms happily.

"Tom! We had so much fun with Ellie! We played games and I made a new friend named Happy and he loves Ellie!" Harry slapped a hand over his mouth before giggling, "But you can't tell anyone. It's a secret. We colored too. Tom, can we color when we get back to the room?"

"Of course, Harry. Anything you want." The Dark Lord replied with a chuckle.

He listened to his future spouse chatter on and on as they walked to the Dining Hall. The three of them were going to try Harry on juices tonight and see how he held up. Grape juice and tomato juice. If the grape juice settled well, they would try for the thicker and more substantial tomato juice. He listened to him talk all about Ellie, whom he could only assume was Harry's healer, Elyse, and the duck toy he used in his methods, Happy. He was glad to know that Harry was settling so well with his Healer. He knew that that darker more insane Harry would emerge soon enough and it was only a matter of time. No one knew what would trigger him but they would figure it out and deal with it as best as they could once it did come. He only hoped he could prevent Harry from hurting himself when that time did come. He was too important to him to let him get hurt, especially since he knew that it was nothing Harry could help. He couldn't help what had been done to him due to the negligence and underhanded tricks of the old Headmaster, safe and secure up in his tower. Safe for now at least. Dumbledore would pay for hurting what belonged to Lord Voldemort. No one touched what was his and Harry was very much his in every respect. They settled into the Dining Room with Harry still chattering happily. The teen's eyes darkened when he saw the table laden with food for the adults dinner but relaxed when Tom handed him a goblet only. Tom was sure to ask him if he wanted anything but Harry quickly declined. He watched over Harry as he drank down his grape juice quickly, wiping away the line of purple that was on the boy's top lip afterwards and as he reluctantly set into the tomato juice. Tom had made sure to get it watered down so it wouldn't clash so heavily with Harry's malnourished and sensitive stomach. Once everyone was finished, he carried the tired boy to their rooms, cradling him like an infant, the stick thin arms wrapped around his neck securely. They made it there silently like ghosts in the empty corridors and as Tom was laying the boy down for bed, Harry looked up at him with a pout.

"I don't wanna sleep yet, Tommy! Can we color, please please please!" He begged, sitting up in the bed.

Tom had had the elves put a slow acting sleeping drought into Harry's juice to help with his insomnia so he would be up for perhaps another hour and then would be ready to drop off. He relented to the boy's demands and pulled some parchment sheets from his desk for Harry's use, spreading them out on the coffee table. He would have to make Harry his own little creative corner of the room, just for his games and coloring things. Perhaps a project for tomorrow. He colored with the boy for the next hour, drawing various pictures of the Dark Mark and other oddities for Harry to childishly scribble on and hang up in the little corner where the table was situated.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not something as awesome as Harry Potter.

Chapter Six

Harry was walking down the corridor, hand in hand with Tom on their way to visit Ellie. They had been chatting about his latest Death Eater meeting and how Harry thought he should color the Dark Mark with purple.

"Tom, when are we getting married?" Harry asked and the Dark Lord smiled.

Harry often asked this question of him and Tom always gave him the same answer. He half suspected that Harry thought that he would change his mind.

"When you're all better. When you get big and strong, then I'll marry you and we'll live happily ever after."

Harry gasped and his innocent eyes widened.

"Like in the story book! Does that mean you're Prince Derek, Tommy?"

He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. He had been reading Harry stories at night, fairy tales and even a few from The Tales of Beedle The Bard. The teen adored their story time and hurried through getting ready for bed so they could get to the reading. Tom would sit him in his lap in his bed and set the book between them so Harry could look at the pictures too and follow along with his little finger.

"That's right but remember. I'm only your Prince. To everyone else, I'm the bad wizard who captures the Princess Odette." He said gently, bringing the bony hand up to his mouth to give it a soft kiss.

Harry smiled.

"Maybe you're the Prince who is secretly the bad wizard man after all! Then you capture the Princess and get married and you both are happy ever after!" The small figure spouted, making him chuckle.

"That's right. And maybe my little princess is actually a little prince under a magic spell and once the prince can break the spell, they can get married, be bad wizards together and bring down the wicked king."

The mop of black hair nodded vigorously, his eyebrows creased seriously.

"Am I the prince, Tommy?" Tom nodded in response, picking him up with a grin, "I like our story better. Can you read our story to me tonight?"

"Of course, my prince."

Severus watched the two enter the Dining room after Harry's meeting with Elyse. He couldn't help but stare. Voldemort was still a ruthless man on the battlefield and he never hesitated to curse one of his Death Eaters when they got out of line, however, Severus was noticing that the man was more easy going in private and he was extremely gentle with Harry. Severus himself hadn't been cursed a single time and was found, much to the disgust and hatred of others in the ranks, to be in especially high favor as one of Harry's caretakers. Voldemort had assigned him to Harry's care as well as Bellatrix and Lucius, who would be teaching the boy. Elyse has instructed them to be careful with Harry's emotional state and that they needed to make changes slow and spaced out or it could damage any progress Harry had made so far. The boy seemed to be adjusting well though. He was fond of his three caretakers and even more so of the Dark Lord. Harry ran up to him quickly, throwing his arms around the Potion's Master's waist happily.

"Sevvie, guess what! Tommy says I'm a prince and he's prince charming and the bad wizard together! That means…you and mumma are the King and Queen!"

Severus grimaced at the thought of being married to Bellatrix but smiled for the teen's benefit. Harry was often spouting off things that only really made sense to him and Tom.

"That's wonderful, Harry. Now why don't we go and sit down and have our royal feast in the castle?" He said, leading the boy back to Tom's side at the table.

They were giving him a thin vegetable soup and a half a slice of toasted bread to start him back on actual foods. He was gong to have to start seeing a physician next week. With some encouragement from all of them, Lucius having joined them and after some time having Harry declare that he was the Royal Advisor, Harry ate most of his food and drank his tea that Tom passed him. The rest of the meal, he sat in Tom's lap, regaling them all with strange and fantastic stories that he made up of make believe places and people. Lucius was very amused by all of these comings and goings. Harry had demanded that they all call him Tom. The Dark Lord had summoned the Malfoy patron to follow them for the rest of the day since it would be in his and Severus's care that Harry would be left when Tom had to leave town and was unable to take the boy with him. Understandably his little ward had been cautious of the blonde but after several hissed reassurances from Tom and forcing Lucius to play a game with him around the breakfast table, Harry had warmed to the man significantly. Tom set Harry on his feet on the floor and stood from the table, leading the boy by the hand through the hallways to Harry's play room. Lucius followed, amused and holding up a steady conversation about the importance of stuffed animals to the symmetry of a bedroom with the boy. Tom was chuckling the whole way there. According to Harry, he needed more stuffed animals in his life so Lucius was going to help him pick some out for him.

"He needs a kitty. And a snake that looks like Nagini! Oooo and a teddy bear." Harry cried happily, clapping his hands together before soon demanding that they swing him by the hands between them.

Lucius and Tom happily obliged his antics. While this was occurring though, Tom's brain was working hard. He was slowly becoming obsessed with the search of a way to restore Harry's sanity. He needed his little one in a solid mind frame for them to be together. He had accidentally made Harry a Horcrux at infancy. Perhaps that was the key. By the time they got to their rooms, Harry was already nodding off in his arms. Lucius raised an eyebrow at the sight but Tom just shrugged.

"Naptime. He usually drops off just after lunch."

"Ah."

Review!! Lol, Lucius is in the mix now.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, sadly, or anything else referenced in this fic.

Chapter Seven

Harry watched Tom pack, gripping the man's pillow in a vice grip. His eyes were wide and confused. Was Tom leaving him? Would he never see him again? His bottom lip trembled and he clenched Happy against him which seemed to distress Lucius sitting at his side. Tom looked up at him and sighed, smiling softly and pulling the distraught boy into his arms, cradling him gently.

"Easy, Harry. I'm only going to be gone for a few days. I have some work I have to take care of, that's all. I'm coming back." He hissed in parsletongue, letting the boy cling to him, trembling. 

Harry scrubbed at his eyes, his form small in the Dark Lord's protective embrace. 

"I don't want you to go, Tommy. Can't you take me with you?" The boy plead desperately.

"Harry it isn't safe. I don't want you to get hurt. A lot of the work I do isn't safe. I wouldn't want anything to happen to my little prince, now would I?"

Harry didn't answer but only buried himself in Tom's neck again. 

"Would like to help me pack? I would like that a lot." Tom asked, tempting him, "And I'll make sure I bring you back lots of presents."

This made the boy perk up alittle. He scrubbed at his tearful eyes once more, wiping the drops away and nodded. So Tom put him down and Harry started bringing him things that he thought Tom needed and helped the Dark Lord pack. 

"You and Lucius are going to have a slumber party while I'm away. Won't that be fun? You can have all of the sweets and hot chocolate you like. When I come home, I'll take you where ever you want to go. We can go to the zoo or to see a film or maybe to a restaurant?"

"Can we go to the zoo and to have Chinese food?"

"Of course we can! In fact, we should bring Mommy, Severus and Lucius too."

"Yay! Tommy, where is Mommy?" Harry asked, looking between Lucius and Tom, holding out a pair of the Dark Lord's pajama's and a pair of fuzzy slippers that he seemed to have conjured from no where.

The two men shared a dubious glance. There was no telling with that woman. She was as crazy as they came. Bellatrix was always showing up in the strangest places. She was probably down in the dungeons harassing Severus, though. The two seemed to hold a light competitive streak between them. They were always trying to see who could annoy the other the most. 

"I don't know, princeling. She'll show up though. Here. A present to remember me until I get back." Tom said with a smile and retrieved a large, gold locket with a curving letter S on the front. 

The thing was practically soaked in Tom's aura and when he slipped it around Harry's neck, the boy purred in delight. Harry looked at it around his neck, beaming and hugged it to his heart. 

"You'll always have a piece of me with you, now. No matter where we are or how far apart."

Harry hugged him and before they knew what had happened Harry had given the Dark Lord a light kiss. Tom smiled at him, trying not examine the delicious way his lips seemed to conduct electricity suddenly. Lucius was smirking in the corner like he had caught them at something naughty. He ignored the man and instead, sat down on the bed with Harry sitting comfortably in his lap. 

" I think I like you, Tom."

"I know that I like you, princeling."

Harry watched Tom walk off of the grounds and disappear past the wards, pressure building behind his eyes. He had promised himself that he would not let Tom see him cry again. He would wait till Tom was gone so he wouldn't worry him. But now that he saw the man's back disappear, he couldn't stop the dry sob that pulled from his chest. He felt a hand touch his back and Severus's wonderful smell came to him. Like smoking herbs and something unidentifiable but crisp and warm. Lucius picked him up gently and carried him back to Tom's room silently. Dark clouds rolled overhead and lightning flashed along the cloudbank in the distance. They were in for one long night. 

Severus had revealed Tom's newest interesting creation afterwards in an attempt to cheer Harry up. It was a muggle DVD player and television that ran on magic. All one had to do was say the name of the movie whether it be magical or muggle and the machine would play it immediately. So Harry was curled up in Tom's blankets, clutching the locket around his neck and using Lucius's stomach as a pillow while they watched 101 Dalmations. He hadn't touched a bite of his supper, only his juice. When Severus and Bella had prompted him to eat, the boy had just stared miserably out the window. Elyse had instructed the three, finally at their wits end, that they should have some quiet snuggle time with Harry, to give the boy time to adjust to losing his main social focus. Harry's days revolved around Tom so now that the man was absent, he needed quiet and togetherness with others who cared for him. So there Severus and Lucius were, curled on the Dark Lord's bed with his ward, watching Disney movies. Harry however, was beginning to settle in. He had stopped clutching the locket like a lifeline although he still held it, stroking it and occasionally whispering in parsletongue for reasons they could not fathom. When it first happened, Harry had a slow, lazy smile stretch over his face and immediately began to settle into sleep. His whole body eased. It was as if he could hear or see something that they couldn't and it calmed him. 

Harry slide down the stair case banister like it was a slide, tumbling off of the end with a laugh.

"Come on Tom!" He called to the top of the stairs.

Severus observe this with some amount of worry. There was no one there! Was Harry lapsing deeper into insanity instead of getting better as they had predicted? Was it due to Tom's absence? Harry ran across the hall to the dining room where he grabbed a pastry and sat himself in Bella's lap, hugging her affectionately. He bounced away, laughing and chatting away with the figure that Harry believed to be there. Severus and Lucius shared a frown as he walked away happily, the pastry hanging form his mouth like a kitten with a mouse.

"Well well. If it isn't my Lord's new little bed warmer."

Harry's ears perked up and he turned around. Tom hissed, unseen, glaring at the intruder on their games. His Tom was gone but this young teenage Tom was here to keep him company. He said he was here to protect Harry until his Tom came home. Behind him stood Crouch Jr. The bent, gangly young man circled Harry, observing the apparently unprotected teenager. He grabbed Harry's hair with a viciousness the made several strands come loose from his scalp and a cry of shock and pain to erupt from his mouth.

"Well, I'll show you where bed warmers belong, little Potter." The man laughed and licked the side of the suddenly still boy's face.

When he pulled back enough to take in the terror in those emerald eyes he was surprised to find a maniacal grin there instead. Harry's eyes ere not fearful but full of insane laughter and a dark purpose. 

"Somewhere you belong. Somewhere." Harry cackled and grabbed Crouch's throat, his nails digging into the soft flesh. 

Crouch Jr. released him in shock and horror but Harry did not, His fingers kept digging into the tissue and skin seeking blood and bone on the way. He did not release the man until he heard him give one final gurgling cry as Harry's hands found his carotid and pulled. Harry's laughter could not be quelled and it spilled from his mouth like music from a orchestra. Severus would later find Harry, still laughing madly, covered in blood and pieces of Crouch strewn all about the manor. The house elves not directly assigned to Harry's care had hidden in every nook and cranny to escape the attentions of the mad man walking the halls.

Review!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Alright, guys, so how about our new president, huh? Did everyone see the Inaugeration? Pretty interesting stuff. Ok, so for real. I know that some of you have been alittle irked by the randomly underlined chapters and in some instances, lack of page breaks or indents. I know. Its frustrating for me too, because I assure you. I am extremely particular about my writing format and i do write them with all of these things and I don't even use underlines. It is a compatibility blip between my word processor and FFN. I'm sorry, Its annoying but there just isn't anything I'm able to do about it right now. It sucks on my end too. An to answer a few things, here we go. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. I could not have gotten this far without all of you.

-YES! Harry is stark raving mad. His marbles are so scattered you wouldn't believe it. Most of the time he is quite content and lucid, but as you've seen, he does have the potential for _extreme _violence. This will be a contributing factor throughout the story and we will begin to see more his mind unraveled in this chapter and you will begin to understand why he acts the way he acts and behaves the way he does.

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Eight

Severus stared at the short yet imposing figure before him and shuddered. There was something inherently dark about what sat in front of him. One thing he knew for certain though. Harry was no longer present. The figure sitting on the Dark Lord's bed took a long drag on his cigarette, fixing everyone in the room with a cold, apathetic stare. Lucius was standing against the wall nearby, extremely disturbed by this new turn of events. Present was himself, Lucius, Elyse, Bella and likely Tom Riddle, but only Harry and Tom himself could see the apparition. 

"You seem to have questions, Potions Master, so speak. Otherwise stop wasting my time." The young man sneered.

Severus leveled him with a glare but the insolent teenager masquerading around in his wards body was unaffected. It was alittle more than bizarre to see someone else speaking through Harry's mouth, and acting through Harry's body.

"Who are you? Where is Harry and what is your connection to him?" He demanded coarsely.

The young man smirked at him discomfort. He blew his cigarette smoke at the irate professor then turned suddenly to Lucius.

"And you, Blondie? Do you have any questions to add to this little pot." Lucius answered in the negative, " Very well. My name is James, if you must know it. Harry is fine. You could say he's in a type of…restorative sleep. I," he explained with a wicked smirk, "am everything that Harry will inevitably become. I am his future, you could say. I am what he will have to become before your Dark Lord can take him to bed and he can stand by his side truly. That is what you Lord desires. What the both desire really. Harry's fucking crazy about him. Do you have any idea what it's like to live in the mind of a lovesick loony? It's like a fucking circus in there. A cross between a broken funhouse mirror and a carnival of nightmares. I'm just one part of Harry, though, you have to understand. In truth, there are several of us." 

Lucius stepped away from the wall at last, a frown marring his lovely features.

"Several of you, you say. What exactly _are_ you?"

James grinned, looking truly pleased with them at last. It seemed as if he had been waiting for them to come up with this exact question. He leaned forward to hold their attentions more fully. 

"Now that's the question, isn't it? Very well, I shall tell you. Harry's mind is fragmented. More so than you realize. In effect, his personality was also caught up in the destruction. All of us are merely the scattered pieces. Most are very passive, like the childlike Harry you have grown used to, but they are not aware of one another. Even my little Harry himself is unaware of all of the pieces of himself he is missing. But all it takes is a little epush to bring one to the forefront. No doubt you have seen a few of them and just didn't realize it at the time." He gave Lucius an approving nod, "I like you Lucius Malfoy. So does Harry. He seems especially fond of all of you actually. Especially you, Severus Snape." He added almost as an after thought.

"You are aware of all of them though. If you are just a part of Harry then why are you so knowledgeable when he is not?" Severus asked, ignoring the last few comments the teen had spoke.

He began pacing back and forth quickly, revealing his agitation. How was he supposed to explain this to Tom? It wasn't James who answered his question, though. It was Elyse.

" Because he did not start as a part of Harry. James is the part of Harry that is personalized by the Dark Lord's Horcrux that is housed in Harry's soul."

James glared at him angrily. All of the candles and the teen's own cigarette flame rose while his magic lashed out in anger.

"Don't psychobabble me, vampire! No doubt my Harry would miss you if you prematurely met your burning day."

The vampire bowed his apologies, his fingers smoking slightly where tongues of Harry's magic licked at them. James looked to Lucius

"Has Tom been contacted?"

"I am here!" Voldemort said quickly, throwing the door open suddenly, panting as if he had been running for some time.

James eyes softened slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched upward at the corner.

"Indeed. So you are."

Tom ran down the corridors like a mad man, letter crushed in his hand from where he had a death grip on the poor paper. The letter had been short and to the point in Severus's small, looping hand.

'_Come soon. Harry's killed someone.'_

_He had flooed to his home as soon as he was able to get away from the vampires. Was Harry relapsing? Was he hurt? Was he torn about his actions? Did he even remember them? Was he terrified of being punished again? Questions raced through his fevered mind. All he knew was that he had to get to Harry as soon as he could. His little princeling needed him. He remembered how scared his little one had been when he had left and a knot of guilt twisted in his stomach. He should have never left Harry's side. Especially not so soon after the teen had arrived in his care. He burst into his rooms where he felt Harry's aura._

"_I am here!" He said and immediately leaned over to catch his breath._

_He looked up at them all but his eyes immediately roved to Harry. Something was different. The teen had a cigarette in his fingers, occasionally flicking it into a cup sitting at his side on the side table. His eyes were clear and he was sitting in a pose that clearly said 'I'm in control and I like it that way'. He frowned. Harry seemed alright. He was unhurt in the very least._

"_Indeed. So you are."_

_Harry never spoke that way._

"_Who are you? Where is MY Harry?!"_

_The figure waved his hand dismissively and left Severus to explain the situation. Tom's eyes were dark but nonetheless. He sat at James' side, giving his unspoken support. To their surprise, James leaned back into him, lacing their fingers together. At the man's curious glance, James smirked lightly._

"_I'm still a part of Harry no matter if I am a piece of your soul or his. I feel his emotions. They run through me just as surely as they run through him." Was his whispered reply._

_Tom nodded quietly and pulled the teen's still lanky, thin body into his embrace. James purred and pulled Tom down for a heated kiss that seared through the Dark Lord's body like a fever. When they parted however, he looked down into emerald eyes and they were bright and joyful once again._

"_Tom! You're home! Was I asleep? Awww Sevvie, why didn't you wake me up?"_

_Severus touched his forehead for a moment as if praying for patience before quirking an eyebrow at the boy._

"_I did, Harry."_

_Review!!!_


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I'm so excited to so see how many fell in love with this story. When I first wrote it I didn't think that it would be well received in the least bit. I thank all of you for your wonderful reviews. They make this author very happy. ^-^ More of the Harrys in this chappie!

Disclaimer: Nope. I do not own Harry Potter but the plot is mine.

Chapter Nine Who Lies Within

Tom opened his eyes at last, grimacing at the single ray of sunlight that was beaming through the window. The sunlight hadn't been what had woken him though. He reached out beside him to find the bed cold. Harry was gone and had been for some time so it seemed. That was strange. He looked around the darkened room and finally spotted a figure sitting in the corner of the room. 

"Harry?" 

There was no answer but he could see a soft light coming from the corner, illuminating the boy's silhouette. Harry was facing away from him. The light flickered out and died, leading him to believe it was a flame of some sort. 

"James?" He asked, unsurely. 

He had been seeing a little more of the cantankerous smoker ever since his first appearance. He seemed to be the one with all of the answers, whether he would answer them or just string them along was another story. He watched Harry move over to him in the dark and instantly became on guard. This wasn't the childish Harry he had been seeing or James. This piece moved in a slow, sensual stride that made Tom shift alittle in the bed. His heart nearly stopped when Harry crawled over the covers, coming up to straddle his hips and pinning Tom's hands with his knees. The Dark Lord winced at the uncomfortable position but was alittle more distracted by the knife that Harry now had holding up to the light, gleaming in the sun. He held the blade up to his throat and Tom could finally see the boy in the sparse light falling across his face. Harry had a sly, seductive smirk on his face.

"You're so pretty, I'd hate to have to carve up that gorgeous face, but I will if you do not answer my questions immediately. Who are you and how did I get to this place? Where is here and why the _fuck_ did I wake up beside you in bed?!" He hissed venomously but kept his face cool and impassive, the hint of a smirk always teasing the edge of his lips. 

Tom winced. Oh yea. This was definitely not his Harry or James.

"May I know you name first? It is important." Tom said, grimacing at the sting of the blade on his neck. 

He sincerely hope this didn't happen often. How many personalities did Harry have, anyways? The piece huffed but did not remove his weapon.

" Matthias." 

Tom sighed, shifting uncomfortably beneath the luscious teen. It was hard to imagine this sensuous creature above him as a piece of his innocent little Harry.

"I'm the Dark Lord Voldemort, but you may call me Tom. You've been here for several weeks now. Perhaps we should discuss this when I am alittle more clothed and over some breakfast?"

Matthias gave him a slow lazy smile and grinded down alittle, victoriously earning a horrified look from Tom and a small groan.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Matthias purred silkily, piercing Tom with a glance full of vindictive pleasure. 

"Well, you are sitting on my hands. That's alittle rude."

"That's not all I'm sitting on. Answer." He said, all humor leaving his expression and he dug the knife in once more.

The Dark Lord sighed. This was definitely not the way to start the day. He hadn't even had any coffee yet! 

"You would never believe my words. Let me show you my memory. My pensieve is the desk there. Summon it and I will show you."

Matthias gave him a distrustful glance but did as he instructed, allowing the man a hand free to place the memory in the bowl. Matthias kept the knife poised at Tom's throat with a practiced ease while he dipped his head inside, watching the scene from just one week ago. When he returned, his green eyes were disturbed. He shook his head as if to clear it but then frowned.

"This is…impossible. I am…ME! I am me! I-" He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "I have my own feelings and like and dislikes, I can't be just a bit of someone else. I think I would have noticed by now. I mean…" His voice was slightly shaky. He gave Tom a once over before freeing his hands at last but keeping his place on top of him. "This just…fucking blows."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Matthias looked down at him with a more practiced eye now and grinned.

"Well at least I woke up in bed with infinitely better company." 

Severus Snape knew that something was different when Harry came down the stairs that morning wearing fishnet beneath his black wife beater and pants that looked like they had been painted on. He was speaking softly with Tom, a frown on his face. He sighed and nearly banged his head on Moste Potente Potions. Lucius saw and smirked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Matthias, this is Severus Snape, our resident Potions Master, Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange. Bella is Harry's adoptive mother. They are the people that are taking care of you, Harry and James."

Matthias nodded to each of them in turn and was silent for a moment while Tom showed him to his seat. At last, he looked up at the four who were staring at him as if he had grown a second head and at the towel being pressed to Tom's neck to clean off the blood from his blade.

"Ok, I won't lie. This is really fucking weird. Like...Twilight Zone weird."

Tom snorted, obviously the only one who caught the reference.

"You have _no idea."_

_Review!!_


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Shadow-Ravin for helping me solve the irritating underlining problem! Thanks again!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Ten

Harry was doing a puzzle at the breakfast table curiously while Severus, Elyse and Lucius talked about what they were now calling his "case". Tom was helping the boy out and thinking over his ward's different sides. He had met the all knowing James, and the sensual Matthias. Merlin, had he met Matthias. Ever since his arrival the teen had spent his time trying to molest Tom. He had made a sort of odd game out of it. Now his little Harry was back and they were just waiting with bated breath to see when the next would show up. Severus had instructed them to check for each piece's trigger. They weren't sure exactly what had caused Matthias's trigger. Tom had to admit he was alittle afraid to know, with that one. Matthias made him alittle more than uncomfortable. Alittle to warm for public. They had yet to see the true Harry that had been at the Dursley's home. They had deduce that that was the piece of Harry that was closest to his whole self, but it seemed as if he was in some sort of psychological coma. Tom sighed and sipped his tea, watching the teen try and put a piece of the puzzle in that didn't fit. Harry's eyes flashed in annoyance and aggravation and Tom quickly reached over to help him find the correct place. There was no need to excite another more vicious side of him.

"So, I've come to the conclusion that since each piece is a fragment of Harry himself, then they are all based upon aspects of himself. Especially personality aspects. There is Harry himself, his younger childhood version, there is James the future Harry as based on the Horcrux inside him, and there is Matthias, who _obviously_ centers around Harry's more sexual nature." At this the vampire sent the glowering Dark Lord a smirk.

Harry's head tilted at the sound of his name but when no response was given he curled up in Tom's lap and proceeded to do his puzzle happily, occasionally sipping the orange juice that had been ordered for him out of his lidded straw cup. Younger Harry, they had learned very quickly was subject to spills, just like any other child. Tom ran his hands through the soft but thin black hair. He could feel every bone in the boy's body when he held him. Harry wasn't doing well with his food transitioning. The most solid thing he would eat was a half a piece of toast. This was worrying to the Dark Lord. His stint with Matthias had brought about the unfortunate lust he had for his clinically insane ward and had reminded him that he intended to make Harry his Consort. Matthias had not tried to molest any of the other men or woman though so perhaps subconsciously, Harry did hold some desire for him. Even James had alluded to Harry's feelings for him. Just as these thoughts flew through his head, little Harry leaned up and gave his chin a small kiss.

"You look so serious, Tom." He felt his head, his tongue sticking out in thought. "Are you sick?"

He chuckled.

"No, Harry. I'm quite well, thank you."

The newspaper was lying abandoned from where Harry had scribbled all over the now irate men in the pictures with his crayons that Lucius had brought him. July 29. Harry would be turning fifteen in just two days. Hm. Perhaps a party was in order?

Harry ran ahead of them in the halls, randomly opening doors and giggling when he happened to open one that contained some unfortunate and now rather mortified soul. He usually stumbled across Death Eaters training or, once, the changing rooms and showers used after training was over. The Death of Barty Crouch Jr. had been all but brushed aside. His younger self walked beside him, occasionally grinning at Harry's antics.

"He is rather remarkable, isn't he?" Tom asked, watching in wonderment as Harry teased a suit of armor further down the hall.

"Yes. He's all we've ever wanted in a Consort. The little brat is slippery as an eel but he's kind and thoughtful as well. Sharp as an axe too." His younger self replied.

Harry was smart. He had managed to talk even Severus into giving him an extra piece of candy the other day. When the potion's master realized he had been had he had been mortified. Ahead, Harry had stopped suddenly in the hall and slumped against a wall. His eyes were glazed over and his body slack.

"Harry? Are you well?" Riddle called, frowning in concern.

The teen looked up, his eyes still gazing at everything and nothing. Was he sick or was this a new piece? Harry didn't seem to recognize them for he started walking down the halls leisurely, his arms wrapped around himself. Tom and Riddle shared a dubious glance and followed the boy calmly.

"Harry are you well?"

Harry looked at them acknowledging their presence but did not say anything. His eyes seemed to have a mirror like quality. As if what he were seeing was not the same thing that they saw. He continued down the hall until he came to a small broom closet. Without a word, he crawled inside and locked the door behind him. Riddle sighed.

"I'll stay here. You go fetch Harry's team."

Tom was able to gather Severus, Elyse and Lucius rather quickly actually and they were all assembled outside the broom closet in record time.

"He just locked himself in?" Lucius asked, one elegant eyebrow raised.

"Yes."

"It sounds like another personality coming to the front although I admit I have never quite heard of anything like this." Elyse said curiously.

Severus scowled.

"Harry Potter always manages to blow everything that should and shouldn't be possible out of the water. Of course you haven't heard of anything like this! Harry lived in a cupboard up until he received his Hogwarts letter. Perhaps this is some parallel of that?"

"It's very likely."

Tom sighed and placed a hand on the door, wandlessly breaking the lock. The door came open immediately and he peaked inside. Harry was sitting on the floor, his bony knees brought up to his chest. He seemed almost unconscious, like a sleep walker. The boy looked up at him through sightless eyes. Even disturbingly empty, they were still beautiful. He held out a hand to the teen. Harry merely stared at it as if he were confused by its presence for a moment before taking it and letting Tom pull him to his feet. They never did manage to get Harry to say a single thing.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Woot! Double digits at last! I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying my little twists. More Harry's coming up and a birthday party to boot!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Eleven Who Is True

Harry stretched, popping his back in the same action. Tom looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Green eyes met his own and rolled in annoyance.

"Figures." He scoffed and summoned a cigarette and lighter from nowhere.

"James." Tom stated, his voice sounding relieved.

The Harry from yesterday had been troubling. The boy had not once acknowledged anyone after that moment in the closet. He had merely wandered through the house and the garden before sitting in Tom's rooms and staring a the television screen as if it were on.

"Well, I'm not _Matthias_, if that's what you're worried about." The teen sniggered, he took a long drag from his cigarette, "I see you met Ghost."

Tom frowned. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He was gonna get wrinkles that way.

"Ghost?" He inquired lightly, summoning his elves for his morning coffee.

"Yea. The quiet one with the creepy eyes, ya know. Hard to miss him. Ghost. He never says anything so don't bother trying to get conversation outta that one."

"Why is he like that?" The Dark Lord asked, sipping his hot liquid sustenance.

"He always has been. He's a direct result of Harry's treatment at the Dursley's. Those fat bastards. Harry was always treated like he was invisible unless the pigs decided to beat him or order him more work. Thus Ghost was born." James explained, rolling over to lay on the man beside him.

Tom suddenly found himself being used as a pillow and rolled his eyes. He ran a hand through James' hair though absently, wondering how so many different personalities could look just like his Harry. Despite his sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, he found the wraith like boy beautiful. Once he was healthy again, his princeling would be breathtaking and powerful.

"So how many pieces are there?" He asked, playing with the hair gently.

James smirked.

"Now that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"

"What purpose?"

"For you to get to know every part of your future Consort, not just what you see. You need to know everything about Harry before committing to him forever."

Tom snorted.

"More like for your amusement."

"That too."

Harry followed Tom down the stairs happily, singing some childish song about frogs in the pond and birds and bees singing. It was endearing to hear that small voice sounding so peaceful. He was in for a big surprise today though.

"Harry do you know what today is?" Riddle asked lightly from Harry's side.

Harry looked up curiously and shook his head.

"It's your birthday today."

The frown that showed on the boy's face was puzzling. They walked into the Dining Hall together and Harry's eyes widened spectacularly at the sight. The house elves had really gone over board with the decorations and the birthday cake. A breakfast feast was spread over the table with all of Harry's favorite foods and drinks. Severus, Lucius and Bella were already sitting around it.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!"

His eyes were wide as saucers and his mouth was in a little O of surprise. He raised his hands for Tom to pick him up and the Dark Lord complied. Harry buried his face in his neck anxiously. He didn't seem to know what to do with the whole situation.

"It's ok, Harry. Look. We got all of your favorite things here, and a strawberry birthday cake, too." Tom cooed to the boy.

Harry looked back at the table, biting his lip alittle.

"I like strawberry…" He whispered, opening up alittle more at the sight of the sweet mountain of cake.

Real strawberries were placed all around it in tiers. It was truly a sight to behold. Tom sat him in his lap at the table while they all sang happy birthday, Bella's screeching making Harry giggle. Tom made him a plate of some soft fruits, and a small bowl of chicken pot pie and two pancakes. Harry looked at it dubiously.

"If you eat as much as you can today Harry, I'll give you a special birthday kiss, okay?" He said with a small grin when he saw the boy perk up alittle.

For a split second, Harry's eyes cleared of all child like joy and laughter, becoming instead serious and dark. As soon as it came, it was gone again though. Tom decided to file that away for later.

"You'll give me a real kiss? Promise?"

"Mhm. I promise."

Harry smiled brightly and with that, summoned the blueberry syrup to his side. Elyse gave Tom a congratulatory smile when Harry got him to cut the pancake up for him before digging in happily. When he finally got to the point where he got Severus to cut him a piece of cake, just as he put the first bite in his mouth, Tom leaned down.

"Happy Birthday, Harry." He whispered in a way that sent a curious shiver through the boy.

He had two pieces of cake before they decided that if he didn't stop he was going to throw up. They promised him that he could have more cake after his nap though. Severus passed Harry an anti-nausea potion to down. After having so little in his system for so long, he hadn't been quite ready for the feast he had consumed. They opened presents next. Severus got Harry a winter cloak to wear since the weather was quickly turning chilly and a book on potions. Bellatrix gave him a beginners cookbook for children. Lucius gave him a new wardrobe that was more fitting for the Dark Lord's Consort and more well…fitting period. Now Harry had clothes that were actually his size. He unwrapped his present form Tom with especial tenderness, feeling the pulse of magic beneath the wrapping paper. When he finally peeled the shiny green paper back, a small diary sat in his lap. It was simple and black with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle engraved at the bottom corner. He ran his hand over it lovingly and the thing answered his caress with a pulse of magic.

"I wanted you to have something to write down your thoughts in. I rebuilt it just for you." Tom said gently, once more running his fingers through the teen's hair.

Harry beamed at him and clutched the thing happily.

"I love it. I've never had a birthday party or presents before." He said softly and buried himself in Tom's chest.

He gave each of them huge hugs and thank you's before sitting back down with another piece of cake that he talked Bella into getting for them. It was the best birthday he had ever had. On the first page of his new diary, when no one was looking, he wrote his first words.

'_I love Tom Riddle.'_

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	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Birthday Continued!!

Lil' Harry: *glomps kittyfiction2008* LOVES!!!

Sable: *eyeroll; buries nose in book*

Matthias: Harry, you are such a weird one. You should focus on more important things! *eyes Tom hungrily while the Dark Lord inches away slowly*

Sin: Mmmm. Time to gather my Harrys! *ties Bad Harry to a chair, keeping all blades and weapons away from him*

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Twelve Which Is Which?

Tom had been unable to shirk his duties for the day but before he left, he treated his princeling to the time of his life. For the first time since Harry's arrival, Tom took him out of the house. They went to Diagon Alley, under an assortment of glamours of course. Harry had been glamoured as a small child, that way no one did a double take when they saw their Boy Savior getting picked up by some strange man. They did have a few rules on their outing though. Harry had to hold his hand at all times and promise not to go off anywhere without him. Lucius would be accompanying them on their trip and Draco would be taking lunch with them back at the manor. Harry needed to get used to socializing with new people again, especially those his own age. He had dressed his princeling in his new clothes, casting various spells silently to repel dirt and wrinkles that Harry would inevitably come into contact with. He secretly sent Harry's clothes from the Dursley's to the house elves to be burned. They would be buying him even more clothes today at the Alleys. He looked breathtaking in his stylish black slacks and white button up. His crisp black tie and vest and the black boots just completed his ensemble. He looked exactly what he was. A young lord. Lucius smiled down at him, a strange pride in his eyes. Tom knew the man would make Harry a pureblood prince in no time. Harry seemed determined to be as well behaved as he possibly could be. So far he had held their hands and tried his hardest to keep his outbursts to a minimum.

First, they went to the bank, getting the teen emancipated from his relatives and the manipulative Headmaster, beginning the paperwork to have custody given to Tom Riddle. This ended up being a lengthy process since Tom had to prove to the bank that Harry had in fact been abused and that the old man had not acted in his best interest. Tom then had to prove that he was able to provide the child with a safe and wholesome home life, so he sent Harry and Lucius ahead to pick up everything he would need for his private schooling. Hints of charges against Dumbledore for child neglect and child endangerment were dropped and the goblins graciously agreed to have the paperwork in his hands the next morning. He eventually found the pair in a bookstore in the entrance to Knockturn Alley, hovering over some books in the back. Harry turned to look at him as he approached. The teen had his nose buried in Alchemy Over The Ages.

"You're the Dark Lord." He stated calmly, without feeling or inflection, merely fact.

"I am. And this is Lucius, your godfather. I am your guardian."

Lucius seemed very pleased at being labeled the boy's godfather. No doubt severus would also gain the title. Harry nodded, slowly, visibly mulling over the information.

"I am Sable." he said softly but clearly and concisely, giving a small bow. Tom smiled and gestured toward the shelves. "I am hiring you a private tutors, Sable. Are there any subjects in particular that you would like to study?"

Sable's lips lifted gently. So he was the studious one. The intellect.

"Alchemy, potions, spell crafting, summoning, defensive and offensive fighting styles, and battle tactics, and strategies. He said calmly and in quick succession.

Tom and Lucius looked at him in surprise, making the boy blush.

"Ignorance is what defines the weak. Knowledge defines power." He whispered. Tom smiled and helped him pick out his books. Once they walked out of the dusty shop, though, little Harry returned.. They headed to the ice cream shop to appease the boy's sweet tooth next. He ordered a funfetti, strawberry ice cream with gummy bears all over it. Tom sincerely hoped Severus had more anti-nausea potions. They collected the rest of Harry's things and headed home for lunch. Tom had them go ahead while he ducked down Knockturn for a moment. Lucius threw him an amused glance but led Harry to the house. Tom joined them again within fifteen minutes.

They settled in the drawing room with a game of exploding snap that Harry jumping happily in amusement. The fireworks they threw off made him practically bounce with excitement in Tom's lap. Draco finally stepped through the floo with Severus at his back. Harry stood silently, frowning as the two boys eyed each other. He tilted his head to the side before turning back to Lucius sitting at the table.

"Lucius! He looks just like you!" He said in childish glee.

Draco cleared his throat softly. Lucius, Severus and Tom had all briefed him on Harry's…condition and what he could do and what he should avoid.

"He should. Harry, this is my son, Draco." Lucius said calmly, beckoning the boys and Tom to the Dining Room.

Harry gave Draco a friendly little wave and a shy smile, holding Tom's hand the whole way down the hall. He was hanging rather close to Tom as if he were nervous but was also overly curious about the new boy.

"So, Harry, how old are you?" Draco ventured slowly, like he was afraid that Harry would jump out at him at any moment.

Harry stopped in the hallway, a frown on his face. Tom was watching the interaction like a hawk. When the boy seemed to be entirely puzzled by the question, he quickly stepped in on his behalf.

"Harry would you care to share your birthday cake with Draco? I understand he is fond of strawberries as well."

"Ok!"

"So you go school? That's so cool! I would be too scared to leave Tom." Harry said happily, sitting in the Dark Lord's lap.

Draco seemed completely perplexed by him. He didn't understand anything that Harry Potter did or said. How could the boy completely forget four years of fighting and constant bickering? How could he forget everything he had been before? Draco kept testing the waters with the boy. Hinting at things from Harry's old life. His father had said that Harry hadn't forgotten, that his personality had broken and fractured so it was like Harry actually believed himself to be a different person, or several at different times.

"It can get annoying though. Living with your classmates can be trying and all of the mud bloods running around like a zoo-"

Several things happened in quick succession. Harry had jumped up from his place in Tom's lap, the glassware on the table shattered, spilling juice over the table cloth. A knife was suddenly buried halfway to the hilt in the table between Draco's hand and his plate.

"_Watch your filthy mouth, ferret!!_" Harry snarled, suddenly full of rage, the sweet Harry gone in an instant.

Draco sat pale as a sheet and everyone had frozen, unused to this new violent teen. Harry suddenly paused, frowning and looking around at them all. His eyes widened comically as the emerald orbs alighted on the blade in the table. He spun around to Tom.

"Tom! Someone hurt the table!" He cried, making Draco's jaw drop.

Severus cleaned up the spills with a wave of his wand. Harry saw all of the glass and spills next and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Oooo, someone's in trouble…" He laid his head on the table next to the knife, coming to eye level with it. He had a sorrowful expression on his face, "Poor table…" He moaned, running his hand over the table gently.

Draco looked about ready to pass out but a small chuckle escaped his lips, causing Harry to look up with a beaming smile. The chuckle became a full laugh soon. The two seemed to be doing well with each other even though Harry seemed to frighten Draco alittle.

Tom sighed, walking into his room, running his hand through his hair. Harry was rubbing his eyes in his arms, nearly ready for bed. He set the boy on their bed wearily and went to the dresser to pull their pajamas out.

"Tom?" Harry called, his voice hoarse with fatigue.

They had had a long day.

"Yes, my prince?"

"Can I have my kiss now?"

The Dark Lord paused, setting their clothes on the bed. He smiled and started helping the boy out of his shirt. He had Harry in his pj's in no time, still marveling at the bones jutting from his body. He tilted the boy's head up gently, and breathed against his lips softly. Harry's breath seemed to catch in his throat so Tom ran his thumb over it lightly, making sure the boy didn't stop breathing all together.

"Anything you want, dearest."

His lips connected with Harry's gently and a shiver of electricity ran through him. He could feel the same shiver run down his princeling's spine as well through the thin silk night clothes. Harry was glad he was already sitting down because his whole body suddenly felt light and weak. Like warm pudding. Too warm. Tom was practically in Eden. He felt thin arms slide around his neck and prayed it wasn't Matthias again. Tom parted reluctantly from him only to see a strange broken clarity he hadn't seen since the Dursley's home settle in the teen's eyes. Harry gasped alittle, looking up at him in wonder.

"Oh Tom…Where am I…?" Harry whispered a trickle of fear leaking into his voice.

Tom tugged him close, rubbing his back to offer what little comfort he could.

"You're safe, Harry." He said gently.

The boy nodded, his whole body shaking like a leaf. Tom settled him into bed joyful at finally seeing the true Harry peaking out at last.

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	13. Chapter 13

Authors Note: Love you guys!!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Thirteen Who's The Root I Lack?

'_Where's the Thread that binds me? The Voice that calls me back? Where's the Love that finds me? And what's the Root I lack?' -Song of the Wanderer_

Tom sighed as he sat up in bed the next morning, looking over at the sleeping figure at his side. He had finally seen the real Harry last night. The broken teen that he was determined to help. The remnants of their kiss were still alive on his lips. Seeing the true Harry had brought to mind an ugly fact. Harry had been here for weeks so far and he had not done a single thing to try and find how to reverse his insanity. For the first time in his life, Lord Voldemort was ashamed of himself. He had vowed to Harry that he would help him. Elyse had done more for him so far than he had. Tom sighed. He would have to stop playing around. He would have to bury himself in his task in order to succeed. He would start today. Play time was over. Sitting on his desk across the room, delivered mere moments ago, was a velvet black box containing two rings.

Sable sat at the breakfast table with a frown. He was sitting next to Tom as usual and they were as close as they always were but for some reason, Tom's thoughts seemed elsewhere. He was distant. He set his book down silently and turned to address the man.

"Tom, are you well?" He asked in his usual quick, soft tone.

The Dark Lord gave him a smile and nodded.

"Have no worries, Sable. I am well. You'll be staying with Lucius and Draco today. I have some work that needs tending to and then I'll be gone for the rest of the night. Will you be alright, staying with them today? If you don't want to be alone tonight, Severus will stay with you or you can stay at Spinner's End with him. Whichever makes you the most comfortable." He said, abandoning his breakfast for the owl that had just swooped through the window bearing papers from Gringotts.

Tom's demeanor suddenly brightened considerably.

"Brilliant! Well, Sable, I have exceptional news. The Ministry and Gringotts have granted me custody of you. You'll never have to go back to Harry's relatives' home again or Hogwarts if you don't wish it."

Sable smiled lightly and nodded.

"Good. I don't like that place."

Tom passed him a folded up piece of paper with where he was going for the day and what he was doing. Sable tilted his head in curiosity.

"That's for you to carry. That way, when one of your other selves comes to the forefront, they will know what the plan for today is. It'll get warm when you switch personalities so they will all look at it. I'll admit I am somewhat nervous about leaving you alone today. It'll be the first time." The Dark Lord said softly, sipping his coffee.

Sable was observing the paper with interest now, turning it this way and that.

"Fascinating…"He exclaimed, showing true excitement for the first time since his arrival in the parade of Harry's.

Tom chuckled before standing, placing a soft kiss on top of the boy's head and leaving. Sable would not see him again for the rest of the night.

Tom was sitting in his study pouring over tome after tome. So far he had been unsuccessful. He had been in his study for six hours when the door opened softly and soft footfalls padded over the carpet. Cigarette smoke hovered over to him.

"Must you smoke in my study? It's a horrible habit to have in the first place." He said, not bothering to turn around.

"Yes. We need to talk. Now." James said seriously.

Well, more seriously than usual. Tom sighed and set his book down, nodding. He came out from behind his desk and summoned James to the chairs in front of the fireplace. They both sat down and got comfortable. James curled up in the chair with his cigarette and an ashtray, folding his knees up in the chair.

"So what is it? I'm assuming it's about Harry."

"It is. I just wanted to tell you about Ater." At Tom's confused frown, he gave him a 'so-you-DON'T- know-everything' smirk, "Ater Is the piece of Harry you glimpsed earlier yesterday. The one that nearly stabbed the youngest Malfoy. He's also the piece that tore Crouch to bits. He is quick to take offense, fiercely protective of Harry and short tempered. As you can see, he has been peaking his head out more often."

Tom poured himself a brandy and took a moment to take in the information.

"So Ater is aware of the other pieces too?"

"No," James said quickly with a shake of his head, "He is only aware of the true Harry and he will protect him and his feelings if it means destroying everyone. I have the feeling that this protective streak will eventually extend to yourself as well. He has the tendency to be extremely protective to those Harry is close to so it's only a matter of time. I'm going to call all of the pieces together tonight while Harry is asleep. Get them acquainted and actually aware of each other's existence in some cases. It will inevitably help Harry's progress. Don't be surprised if you eventually start to see the pieces start to come back together. That is, after all, the goal. To form Harry's personality back into one. Well, plus me." He said with a smirk and a long drag on his cigarette. "Because of this you'll start seeing a little more of the true Harry as he heals. Remember though, that he needs to stay in therapy with the vampire. That is essential."

Tom nodded in understanding, excitement building in his belly. Soon, Harry and he could be together for real. Not this patchwork relationship they had now. This was perfect.

Review!!! Next: Congress of the Pieces!!


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Note: Well, its time to see Dumbledore and what he's been up to this whole time. Also, all of the pieces will finally be revealed!! How will Harry take it? Will Draco be weirded out for good? What will Tom get up to? Also, A POLL! How do YOU want to see Dumbledore die? The most creative will be used and the creator given full dedications for their greatness!

Disclaimer: Nope! I don't own anything but the extra pieces!

Chapter Fourteen

Dumbledore watched the children file into the Great Hall with a sense of mounting trepidation and doom. His dearest pawn seemed to be missing! Granger and Weasley were sending him looks of anxiety and fear. This did not bode well. Had the Dursleys finally messed up and killed the boy? That could be problematic but once he confirmed it, he could always plead the part of the grief stricken grandfatherly figure. He had always had the sincerest hope, and that of the boy's deceased parents, that Harry would be like a grandchild to him blah blah blah. He would drop all sorts of hints about how he would have made Harry his heir since he was far too old to have children and then the media and the public would eat it up like flies on sap. No one would think twice about how the boy had died after he had the "poor, disturbed muggles" to Azkaban for life and insisted that Harry was "in a better place now, alongside his parents". He would have the boy's corpse relocated to Godric's Hollow and the brat would pass into obscurity, just like Grindlewald. He could even claim that he had sent young Potter away for training and for his own safety. Then after a few years when he slowly began to pass from the public's eye, Dumbledore could claim he met a training accident or lost his mind and killed himself, or some other sort of rubbish. The boy's body would be far too damaged for a public, open casket funeral so his claims would go unchallenged. Let's see then…eaten by a Manticore? Or perhaps trampled by a Hippogriff while trying to ride the beats? He slipped a piece of lemon poppy seed pie into his mouth and hummed in pleasure. He didn't notice the keen, sharp black eyes that were watching his every moment with veiled disgust.

Tom buried himself in his private library at Slytherin Manor in Northern New Zealand. His ancestor definitely had one thing right. He had wanted a sanctum for his descendants far form the prying eyes of Britain and the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, the bumbling fools. If he was going to find a way to cure Harry, it would be here. With the exception of two of the six wings of the manor, the entire room was an enormous library, dedicated to every topic one could imagine. As per his will, the Goblins and Slytherin's various immortal allies and friends had been adding to this sacred library ever since before the founder's death. He would have to spend more time away from Harry but in the end, when they were able to walk down the aisle together, whole and complete, it would be worth the time apart. He needed to be alone so he could find the cure before something unthinkable happened that would make recovery impossible. He had set the box with the matching rings that Harry and he would wear one day on the desk before him so he would never lose track of what was important. Why he was here and why what he was doing was so important. When he wanted to go home and curl up in bed with his little princeling, he would look at that box and his resolve would strengthen once more.

James closed his eyes, turning not only his thoughts inward but pushing Harry to the surface. Until the other pieces became used to working together, Harry would have to take control. He hoped it wouldn't take long but who knows? He opened his eyes with a sigh and retrieved a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. He was standing inside Harry's unconscious mind, and the landscape definitely left something to be desired. The ground was hard and the sky completely black, a starless gaping darkness. Fog rolled over the ground and throughout the surrounding trees, the different pieces shifted and at last began to emerge, coming at his call. First to emerge was Sable, who was unafraid. He knew what was happening or at least had some idea. Next was Matthias and Ater. Ater stood with his arms crossed, the most basic of emotions simmering just below the surface, standing as a stark pillar against the bleak landscape. Matthias leaned against the only living thing in the clearing, a small dogwood tree that was just starting to form tentative buds and leaves. Even just lounging he emitted sexuality. Little Harry bounced in next, dragging the ever silent, distantly smiling Ghost in by the hand. That was when the others deemed it safe to approach in curiosity. The Twins stepped out at once, both mirror Harry images of the other. They frowned at the gathering, confused and curious, their express remaining mirrors of the other no matter what was said or done. After that, the Priest approach, cloaked from head to toes in a black robe, carrying a massive tome and his waist length black hair loose and flowing. It was the Priest and Ater that set the others on edge. They were both the most physically imposing figures. The Priest wore a strange, fey like looking mask covering his face. James doubted that anyone had ever seen his face other than himself and a good thing too. He would definitely turn heads. He was the hauntingly beautiful image that Harry would later become under the tender care of Tom Riddle. He lit his cigarette and decided to get this show on the road.

"I've called you all here for an obvious reason. As you may have all noticed or heard, you are ALL part of your creator, Harry Potter. I've brought you all here because it is time for you all to start cooperating again. Harry is in danger of becoming permanently damaged or even killed if this continues, so it is up to all of you to take the steps needed to ensure not only his survival but your own. For tonight, I just want all of you to socialize with each other, get a feel for one another," At Matthias's smirk, he rolled his eyes, "platonically you letch, and get used to working with one another. If an issue arises, come to me or deal with it. You can't afford to be warring with each other. If you do, it could be the end of all of our existence as well as Harry's. Your main focus is him. Do you all understand?" He asked, blowing smoke rings to amuse the Twins and little Harry.

Ater sneered, annoyance flaring in his eyes but he smothered it down.

"And if we cooperate, won't that just mean the end our individual existences? What kind of life is that?" Ater hissed defensively.

James raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of existence is this now? Fighting with one another for control of a body that, if all works well, you can all more easily share simultaneously once Harry is well again."

Sable perked up.

"That does sound much more agreeable." He said quickly.

The Twins nodded in agreement and the Priest shut his book, allowing it to float out beside him. He reached up and pushed the mask over his head, allowing everyone to see him.

"The time has come at last. Harry must begin his recovery or his mind will never mend. He can never become what he was meant to be if we cannot work together to ensure his future." He agreed in a lilting, enchanting voice.

Matthias purred and walked over to wrap his arms around the Priest. The man seemed more amused by his actions than anything and allowed it, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I agree with Pretty here. Harry is ours to protect and its our job to fix what those bastards did to him."

This was what caught Ater's attentions and cooled the teen off, making him nod in agreement as well. Ghost didn't seem to understand what was going on but nodded, only after little Harry bounce din excitement, clapping and giggling about telling Tom and how they could all have kisses then.

Review!!!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Wow! I'm so glad so many of you are getting into this fic so much! It's truly flattering. ^^ There is no greater praise to an author than to receive some of the requests that I have gotten. I hope everyone was satisfied with the Congress of the Pieces part of the last chapter.

Disclaimer: Nope! Just the plot!

Chapter Fifteen

Harry pouted, leaning over the edge of his table as Elyse watched him in their "visit" for the day. Neither he nor any of the Others had seen or heard from Tom for five days. No warning or anything, he just up and left. Harry knew that this fact was severely wearing on his creator. Poor Harry…He just needed their Tom to take good care of him. But where was Tom? Severus and Lucius had just shared these weird looks before patting him on the head and telling him that Tom had taken a trip and would be back soon enough. It had frustrated them all but James had impressed patience on them. There was nothing they could do but wait. In fact, he had said that some time apart would probably be best, because with Harry spending more and more time in control of his body, they didn't need to stress him too much with the quickly blossoming sexual tension building between them and the Dark Lord. But, Merlin, did he miss him!

"So, Harry, what has you so fretful this evening?" Elyse asked calmly, slipping his clipboard into his lap.

Harry huffed, blowing a piece of his lengthening hair out of his face and glaring softly at the ground.

"I want Tom back. We need him here!" He whined, his glaring emeralds turning dark in sadness in an instant and he looked at the floor again, picking at the edge of the table softly.

"We?" Elyse questioned lightly, although his interest peaked quickly.

This was the first time any of Harry's personalities other than James had referred to more than one person. The teen perked up and nodded happily.

"Yep! Jamie says we need to work together because its our job to make Harry happy again!" He beamed, toying with Happy idly.

Elyse was very pleased to hear this. This would help Harry's recovery significantly! Perhaps they could even work with each personality to aid them in their task. He would have to talk to James first but it seemed like a real and true possibility!

Harry sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. Tom hadn't been home in two weeks. Two weeks of lonliness and people telling him that it'll all be okay an that Tom would come home when his "trip" was over. Severus and Lucius had tried to reassure him but their comforts had fallen on deaf ears. Riddle sat at his side, watching with unveiled concern.

"Harry, please…You're hurting yourself." The Horcrux whispered desperately.

Harry shook his head and laid down on his and Tom's bed, hugging the man's shirt around his thin frail shoulders. He had tried for the first whole week to figure out why Tom had left. He had figure that maybe…it was him. Maybe Tom had decided that he was too much trouble? He thought maybe Tom just didn't find him attractive anymore. So he made a mental list and ticked them off in his head. At first he thought maybe Tom didn't like how his bones stuck out so when Severus had taken him downstairs for dinner, he had gorged on everything he could, much to the potion's masters partial amusement partial horror. Of course, being unused to eating like an adolescent hippogriff, he had ended up bent over his bathroom toilet for several hours, vomiting up everything that had gone down his throat and then laid up in bed for two days. It was while he was in bed pondering over this list, that he thought, maybe he was too fat and Tom was keeping up appearances for Elyse and Severus and Lucius? So he hadn't touched a single thing since except for the nutrient potions that Severus forced on him twice everyday and liquids. Like he expected, he had started visibly dropping weight soon but then he spent most of his days dizzy, in bed or staring out the window. Eventually he just decided that he just wasn't ever going to be attractive enough for Tom. The man was gorgeous after all and he was this crazy, gross little…thing. It was pure foolishness to think that he deserved Tom. He was a freak after all…Just like the Dursley's said. Ignoring Riddle, he walked over to the bathroom and turned the water on, slipping his shorts off but leaving the long oxford shirt draped over him.

He didn't notice when Riddle returned silently to the locket. He was just heading back to the bathroom when his world shifted and turned upright. Harry suddenly felt himself crumble to the ground, his head spinning. He would have cursed had he had the energy. The water running in the bathroom seemed far too loud, too close. It sounded like Niagra Falls in his ears so much that he barely heard the gasp of terror. He did however, get extremely nauseous when strong arms wrapped around his middle and his world up righted alittle. He felt himself cradled in a tender embrace and looked up, his sunken eyes widening slightly in astonishment. Tom…The Dark Lord looked down at him with saddened bewilderment. The man looked fatigued and out of sorts. Harry was suddenly struck by how much he had come to depend on this man. How much he had come to love and adore him. Tom waved his hand and the bath water stopped. He carried the boy into the bathroom without a word and laid him in the curved seat in the water. It curved around Harry's body, cradling him and sending his shirt flowing up around him. Tom sighed and kissed his forehead before turning and walking out. With a sudden flash of adrenaline brought on by his fear of never seeing his dearest again, Harry stood up.

"Tom wait!" He cried, his legs wobbling, forcing him to grip the side of the tub in a vice.

Tom stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at him. Harry noticed that his pale hand crept to his robe pocket where he toyed with something for a moment before smiling slightly and walking over to kneel at the edge of the tub.

"Yes, Harry?" He asked as calmly as if he had never left.

This collected coolness seemed to crush Harry, making his breath catch in his throat and his lip tremble in distress. His jaded emerald eyes filled with tears making Tom lean closer in worry.

"Please…I know that I'm not pretty or smart and I'm a lot of trouble to take care of but I'll try harder, I will! Just…stay with me. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to be without you anymore…"He sobbed, wrapping his arms around the shocked Dark Lord's neck.

Tom was stunned into silence for a long moment before he pulled the soaking boy into his arms, effectively pulling him from the tub.

"Harry, I'm not going anywhere. I've been away because I was trying to find out how to help you." He whispered with soft amusement, stroking the boy's hair.

When did his hair start to get so long? Harry nuzzled his neck, inhaling his scent shakingly.

"I want to be with you, Tom. I know that you want me too…"Harry said, his face flushing crimson.

Tom leaned back enough to look at the boy's face clearly, his pulse speeding. Did he mean what he thought he meant? His brain nearly fogged with the thought. Taking Harry to bed would be ecstasy for them both.

"You mean you want to…the two of us? Now?" He asked, his voice becoming a whisper that he had to fight to keep the desire from.

Harry nodded shyly, snuggling deeper into Tom's embrace with a contented sigh. The Dark Lord's mind was filled with images of them together and thoughts of _exactly_ what he wanted to do to Harry. To every inch of Harry. But- He looked down at the tiny figure in his arms and realized…as much as he wanted to- and MERLIN, did he want to- he realized that he couldn't. Harry was too sick. It would hurt him if they had sex now. He pulled the boy against him and hugged him as hard as he dared, before casting a drying charm on him and summoning a pair of pajama pants from their room. Harry frowned in confusion as Tom helped him into them and carried him to their bed. When Tom kissed his forehead and nothing more, Harry's eyes widened but this time in hurt and confusion.

"I can't, Harry…Not now…" He whispered and his heart broke at the tears that pooled in his beloved's eyes.

Unsurprised, Harry's eyes became flat and empty as he tried to hide his heartbreak. It hurt Tom even more to see those expressive eyes so deadened and jaded.

"I'm repulsive…"Was the only thing that came from those lips.

"No, Harry, no. That's not it. You're just too sick." Tom realized quickly that nothing he could say right now was going to help.

Harry was curling in on himself, retreating into himself and drowning out anything else in the world. The Dark Lord cursed everything and himself. Damn it! He clutched the box in his pocket once more before calling Severus to their room. Harry needed looking after and he wasn't sure he was the one that could calm him. Merlin, damn him.

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	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: You guys make me so happy with all of your reviews! As long as you guys keep up the reviews I will surely keep up the chapters. Chapter Sixteen. If you look close you can see the different personalities beginning to bleed back into Harry just alittle. You all have my Beta and coauthor, meikouhaikitsune, for the cute lil scene at the end of the chapter. ^o^

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own HP or any other material used in this story, including the Song of The Wanderer.

Chapter Sixteen Who's The Root I Lack?

Elyse sighed, opening the door to Tom's rooms and peaking inside. Harry lay curled up on his side beneath the thick comforter just as he had yesterday and the day before that. Tom stood stiffly outside the door, concerned and frazzled looking. The man had been sleeping on the couch in his adjoining parlor if he slept at all. The vampire sighed. This was a disaster. Severus had plead with the boy to take his potions but Harry had merely stared at them and let them pile up on the side table next to the bed. He entered the room and closed the door behind him leaving the Dark Lord out in the hallway. He slowly made his way to the chair beside the bed.

"How are you, Harry?" He asked gently, watching the boy lift his head to look at him.

The teen was looking thinner every time he saw him it seemed. Tom was right when he said that Harry was too sick for them to be intimate. The boy looked like he was going to fall apart. Lucius had come in earlier and put Harry in some warmer pajamas and wrapped him in several blankets when he visited, so he was practically swallowed by all of the covers. Harry struggled through them and sat up against the pillows though, pulling the thickets blanket up around him once he was settled upright.

"I-" His voice cracked and he just shook his head, hanging it as if it were too hard to hold it up anymore.

"It's okay, Harry. I understand. Can you tell me, though, why won't you accept the potions that Severus is bringing you?"

"I don't want them…" He whispered hoarsely, staring at the blankets in his lap.

Elyse watched him carefully. This was only one of the seven or eight meetings he had had with the true Harry and every meeting with him counted. It seemed as if his pieces were determined to let him have control when he was supposed to be in a visit with him. Elyse suspected James had a hand in this.

"He just wants to help you, Harry. So does Tom." Harry visibly winced but folded his knees to his chest, curling up as much as he was able in a sea of blankets, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Harry shook his head quickly, his nearly skeletal fingers curling over the edge of his blanket. His body gave a violent shudder and he gathered the blankets around him tightly. Elyse cast a warming charm on them and was rewarded with a pleased sigh from Harry.

"I just don't understand why I'm so repulsive to him…" Was his only answer before the teen bent over and burst into tears.

Elyse was unable to get anything else from him for the rest of his visit. He gave Tom a sad shake of his head on his way out and the Dark Lord's face crumbled when he heard the sounds of his beloved's tears from his bedroom. Elyse looked back when he had gotten down the hall only to see Tom leaned against the bedroom door, slide down to the floor with his face in his hands.

Harry sighed shakily as he sat next to the open window, the cool night air flowing inside. He clutched a letter opener he had found in Tom's desk to his chest as his wrist bled freely into his lap. He felt it slip out of his grip as Ghost took hold. Ghost looked down at the wound with a frown before walking out of the room and down the hall. He soon found Severus fiercely berating some Death Eater no doubt for venturing to this section of the manor uninformed. When the Death Eater gasped in horror, the man turned around to see what about. His dark eyes widened and he cursed loudly.

"Go get the Dark Lord, you fool!" He shouted at the unfortunate minion. Turning back to Harry he desperately cast a clotting charm on the wound which stilled the blood flow within seconds, "Harry?" Ghost shook his head with a soft sheepish smile, "Ghost. Did Harry do this to himself?" The teen frowned and nodded.

The man cursed again and pulled him along into his own private rooms across the hall. He sat the silent teen on his bed and grabbed his medical bag. He gently applied some healing salve to the vicious cut. Thankfully there was only one. He wrapped the boy's wrist in gauze and looked down at the blood-soaked pajamas. It was only a few seconds before Tom ran into the room quickly, staring from Harry to Severus for a moment before gathering the boy into his arms tightly.

"What happened?!" He demanded, only getting that same sheepish smile from Ghost.

He gave a frustrated yet relieved groan but then he saw the boy's wrist wrapped in gauze and the blood soaking the front of his clothes. Severus spared the man further terror with a quick but no less grim answer.

"Harry tried to kill himself. No doubt he would have succeeded if Ghost hadn't taken control and come to get me immediately. Elyse and Lucius should be informed. I will floo them while you stay with him. Try not to agitate him too much."

Tom was visibly shaking but nodded.

Ghost had been in Harry's place for several days now and the whole time, he had been on suicide watch. Elyse had ordered it so Draco, Lucius and Tom had switched off in shifts watching the teen. Ghost seemed to have taken to the blonde teen because he always brightened when he came in Tom's room and he always had to get up and go give the embarrassed Draco a hug. They spent a lot of time playing cards and watching movies, and Draco would talk to him even though he knew Ghost would never answer. Ghost clearly enjoyed listening to him and Draco clearly loved to talk so they were very compatible as companions. Elyse watched the two enjoy a muggle movie about vampires over a bowl of popcorn from the hallway, Tom at his side. The man had been taking out his frustrations by ordering raids left and right. On top of being a great stress reliever it was also crippling the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry. They were unable to combat the seemingly random attacks. Elyse turned to the man grimly.

"Ghost is keeping Harry inside where he can rest and recuperate but he will return soon enough. It's up to you now, Tom. You are the only one who can give him what he needs now. If you don't do something soon, he is going to die. There is no question about it." He said in all seriousness.

Tom sighed and nodded. He would have to be so careful…But to save Harry's life, he would have to hurt him.

Tom opened the door, nodding to Lucius who quickly stood and left at his arrival. Harry sighed, now in control of his body once more. The teen seemed to be very fond of Lucius. At the sight of Tom though, he curled up once more, hugging the blankets around him.

"Harry…Are you alright?" He asked in a whisper.

He wouldn't lie. He was terrified that he was going to lose his princeling. Harry looked away but Tom just sat on the bed next to him and for the first time since his arrival back home, he retrieved the velvet box from his pocket. Green eyes alighted in confusion but when it was opened, those same eyes widened.

"I didn't say no because I don't want you, Harry. I want you so much it's _painful_. You're very sick, though, Prince, and I was afraid that I would hurt you if we did this. But now I know that I was just being foolish. I want you to marry me and I want you to be happy." He said, brushing his knuckles over the boy's sharp cheek.

Harry touched his hand to the man's own and sighed, sounding relieved at last.

"I want to marry you, Tom and I want to be with you. I don't care if I get hurt because I know that you'll take care of me. I know that you won't do it one purpose."

Tom pulled him into a soft kiss and with his permission, slipped the ring onto Harry's small hand. The boy smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. It was with that smile that all of Tom's insecurities fell away. He knew he'd hurt Harry, but it wouldn't be the type of hurt he was usually inflicting. He could tell it hurt them both more to deny it then to accept it. So pushing the velvet box off the bed, Tom leaned over his Harry, kissing the boy breathless. They would Bond tonight, become a mated pair and his Harry would be alright again because he would know that Tom wanted him just as much as Harry had ached for him.

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	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: We are fast approaching the end of this fic people! After this, we have only the epilogue to go! Woot! Bet you all are excited. I have some cute HarryXTom-ness planned for that epilogue. To be honest, I already have the epilogue written. ^^;; Nee ways. Onto the chapter! It's the death everyone's been waiting for as well as some fluffiness added in.

***Warning!! This chapter contains SLASH! It is the writing in the italics if you wish to skip over but you have been warned.

**Many thanks to taylor-996 for being my very first reviewer on the last chapter!

Chapter Seventeen There's Someone My Heart Seeks

_Harry gasped in pain, clutching him tightly as if by some miracle, it would erase the pain that was now shooting up his spine. Tom rained kisses down all over his neck and face, stiffening to prevent himself from moving inside his young lover. A few tender tears escaped Harry's eyes but nothing that he could not kiss away. Tom leaned down to lick the side of the boy's mouth gently. He reached down between them to grip him solidly, drawing a different sort of gasp from the teen's throat. Within a few tense moments, Harry was moaning his name, begging him to move. Tom smiled and complied, being none too silent himself. It was so good. Everything was hot and ecstasy. Like the most powerful drug he dream, an exhilarating high that left them breathless and needy. He knew he was probably leaving horrendous bruises on his lover's hips but in their moment of abandon neither could manage to care. They just needed __**more **__and __**harder**__ and __**yes**__, right there! Harry cried his name as a mantra, calling it over and over again and driving them both higher. The Dark Lord had no doubt that they would please each other several times tonight before passing out from exhaustion. _

Tom woke with the most euphoric feeling he had ever experienced. Harry lay asleep, curled against he side with half of his body wrapped around his own. One arm was flung out haphazardly across the bed. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen and he hope that they would make even more of these little wonders in the future. He tried not to glance too hard at the bruises on his beloved's hips, thighs and shoulders. This was the reason he needed to end this war. For Harry. For them. For every other child who had suffered because of Dumbledore and his war. He needed Harry to be safe or he would never get better. Maybe…he should find some sort of psychiatric hospital? Harry's face scrunched up in sleep, but he sighed contentedly, burrowing into his fiancé's arms. Emerald green eyes opened and met adoring crimson.

"Morning." Harry whispered, his voice husky and fatigued but a happy smile gracing his cherry lips.

Tom smiled down at him brightly, leaning down to steal a kiss.

"Good morning, my beautiful one."

Harry beamed at his words. No one had ever called him beautiful before. He had the strange craving to be as beautiful as he could so he could hear Tom say it again. He was, for the first tiem in his life, indescribably, incandescently happy. He was so…happy. Tom loved him. Come hell or high water, blood in the streets or riots of purple rabbits, Tom loved him. That was all that mattered to him. They were getting _married_!! Everything else could be damned. Harry grinned and tugged on his future spouse's hair playfully.

"Can we do that again sometime?" He asked breathily, his eyes already filling once more with desire.

Tom laughed and pulled him even closer, enveloping him in a massive hug. Harry giggled, blushing.

"As often as you like."

"Mmmm…good." The teen whispered before pulling his lover down into a heated kissed, setting the stage for round three.

Tom stepped into the office with a disgusted sneer on his face, his beloved draped on his arm. The cries of outrage from several of the student and teachers alike at their attack had turned to cries of fear and desperation as their moral crashed and the forces were overwhelmed. Their presumed dead Savior was on the arm of their enemy. Dumbledore was standing beside his desk in his dark navy robes. His blue eyes were no longer twinkling. He could see his death looming in those emerald green eyes. He was screwed. Priest lowered his hood with a small smirk, his wand pointed steadily at the Headmaster.

"Harry. We thought you were dead. Your relatives confessed to your murder." Dumbledore said in as grandfatherly a tone as he could muster.

Harry smiled but scoffed with a wave of his hand.

"Please, Headmaster. Don't insult my intelligence. The Dursleys are in the dungeons in our Headquarters, not abroad." The old man's eyes narrowed, "It's time for you to face the consequences of your sins."

The Daily Prophet reported on the takeover of Hogwarts school the next day, printing, at a great amount of influence from their new Director, the gruesome image of the Headmaster, whose corpse had been hung from the rafters in the Great Hall for all of the world to see. Dumbledore ended up looking frail and feeble as his dead body swung in the breeze from the open windows. The Dark Lord had conquered the unconquerable and he had done it all with the smiling figure of the missing Boy Who Lived at his side. It had been whispered that it had actually been Harry Potter that had delivered the killing blow. It had even been hinted, in some instances by Death Eaters themselves, that it was Potter's idea to string up the old man. Tom smirked at the headlines. If only they knew. Harry picked at his fruit salad lightly as if still unsure about eating. It was a slow and timid process but one that Tom was determined to see through to the end. He would help Harry. He would become whole again and he would stand at his side as the Prince Consort.

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	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: The LAST CHAPTER! WOOT! Who else thought this would never end? Well, its been wonderful, really. I hope to hear from all of you when I release my next fic!

Disclaimer: Nope!!

Chapter Eighteen Epilogue

Harry turned to look at the door of the room in the white sanitarium that had become his second home as it opened. Elyse peaked inside and Harry sent him a beautiful smile.

"Hello, Ellie! Time for my meds again?" He asked from the greenhouse room window.

The begonia he was planting was in full bloom. Harry himself was blossoming as well. Tom's idea to build the Euphorium Sanitarium specifically for his beloved's well being and development was truly a stroke of genius. Harry had been in the hospital for a year and he was already doing so much better. His frame had filled out and while he was still rather thin, it was a sinuous, lithe build. His hair reached his waist and he was practically glowing with good health and cheer. He hadn't had an episode in over four months. Elyse smiled at him.

"That can wait until later, today. You have a guest, Harry." The vampire said calmly, opening the door wide enough to allow the visitor entrance.

Harry suddenly beamed, tossing his gloves down in excitement.

"Tom!" Harry laughed out loud, running up and jumping into his spouse's arms, still in his dirty apron and the t-shirt and scrubs they wore at the sanitarium.

The Dark Ruler of the Wizarding World spun him around in his arms, blissful and complete. He tried to visit his dearest one every few days but ruling the world was no easy feat. On their hands were the matching rings that Tom had bought so long ago on Harry's birthday in Knockturn Alley. He had been terrified to leave Harry here at first but he had come to visit him as often as possible. After being reassured that he was not abandoning him, Harry had began to adjust to his new environment an he took to the place very well. To offer moral, social and emotional support, Bellatrix had had herself committed to the sanitarium as well. Tom had placed Elyse in the sanitarium as the Director and Severus had taken up the position of the Medical Director, after having kindly but firmly refused the position of Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had said that he well and truly hated most children and would rather retire his teaching days in a profession that allowed him to brew his potions in relative peace for people who truly needed and appreciated them. Harry had really taken to the hospital, getting better even at socializing with those his own age. Draco and a few of his close Slytherin friends visited often. There were teenagers living at the Sanitarium, of course, other In-Patients like Harry, many with similar problems and tastes as him. Of course none of them were married to the leader of the known world.

"Hello, Harry. How is my little Prince today? Did you have fun with your friends?" Tom asked, running his hands through the boy's long hair.

He loved how healthy and beautiful and glowing his prince was now. Harry gave him a quick happy kiss.

"Heck yeah! Jack says that he'll let us go outside next time too! Me, Dray, Blaise, Emille, Deidra, Jareth and Corbin!" Harry had made many new friends at the hospital, a fact that overjoyed his husband, "Ellie said we could have a picnic today!"

Tom smiled brightly and nodded, but looking at the clock he chuckled.

"Now? It's only 10:30 in the morning."

Harry gave him a mischievous smirk and pulled him close.

"No. But I can think of a few things we can be doing while we wait." He purred.

Harry's orderly, Jack, took that as his cue to leave with a barely stifled chuckle. The couple were already caught up in a tender embrace when Elyse closed the door behind him. Tom laughed as his husband all but dragged him over to his bed.

Harry lay on Tom's chest, happy and content with his lover, basking in post orgasmic foggy delight.

"Mmm...You know, Harry. Elyse says that as long as you came back every day, that you are well enough to come home for dinner and bed. He said I could even take you to some of the balls, press meetings and get togethers I have to go to. As my Consort, you have just as much right to attend as I do. I want everyone to know about us. About how much I love you." Tom said with a smile.

Harry grinned brightly.

"I'd like that. I miss sharing a bed. I had nightmares when I had to sleep alone for the longest time."

"What changed?" Tom asked, rubbing his back gently.

Harry smiled at him.

"I realized that, even though you couldn't be with me at the time, you were always watching over me. You would always protect me. That you were always going to be there even if you couldn't be physically." He pulled the long golden chain out from around his neck, the locket Horcrux sitting warmly in his hand. "I've never taken it off. Not since the day you put it around my neck."

Tom smiled and kissed him, his heart beat soft as a butterflies wings beneath his hand. Harry was the most precious thing in the world to him. The teen nuzzled his chest with a happy sigh.

"Can I go home tomorrow night? And sleep in our bed again and see Lucius?" He asked softly.

"You sure can. I'll bet Lucius would be overjoyed to see you again. He often tells me how much he wishes he could get over to visit more often."

Harry sniggered.

"Well, being Minister of Magic is no small task I'm told."

Tom sat up, pulling the boy against him with the movement. Harry laid his head on his shoulder and showered his husband with kisses and affection.

"So what do you say, my Prince? Feeling up to ruling the world with me?"

"You bet, I am."

FIN!


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